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Friday, January 4, 2013

The Ontario Hockey League today announced the Top OHL Performers of
the Month for December, 2012, including forward Alex Galchenyuk of the
Sarnia Sting, defenceman Ryan Sproul of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds,
rookie Blake Clarke of the Brampton Battalion, and goaltender Mathias
Niederberger of the Barrie Colts.

OHL Player of the Month – Alex Galchenyuk (Sarnia Sting)
Alex Galchenyuk of the Sarnia Sting led the OHL with 11 goals in
seven December games and finished the month with 17 points and a
plus-minus rating of plus-10 before departing for the 2013 IIHF World
Junior Championship with Team USA. He helped the Sting win six of the
seven games he competed in last month and recorded four multi-point
games including the first two five-point games of his career. In both
contests he scored a hat-trick with two assists and was named the game’s
first star including December 1 in a 5-2 win over the Peterborough
Petes, and in his last OHL game December 15 in a 7-4 win over the
Kingston Frontenacs before receiving OHL and CHL Player of the Week
honours.
Galchenyuk, an 18-year-old from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is playing in
his third OHL season after being the first overall pick in the 2010 OHL
Priority Selection. A Montreal Canadiens prospect selected third
overall at the 2012 NHL Draft, the Sting captain is currently third in
OHL scoring with 61 points in 33 games and heading into Saturday’s Gold
Medal Final has eight points in six games with the United States at the
World Junior Championship.

OHL Defenceman of the Month – Ryan Sproul (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds)
Ryan Sproul of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds claims the award after
producing 12 points in nine December games including six goals which
led all defencemen. He recorded points in eight of his nine games with
two three-point efforts earning first star honours both times. On
December 8 he contributed three assists as part of a 6-4 win over the
Saginaw Spirit, then closed out the month with his first career
hat-trick on New Year’s Eve in a 7-3 win over the Spirit.
Sproul, a 19-year-old from Mississauga, ON, is playing in his third
OHL season with the Greyhounds. Selected in the second round of the
2011 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, Sproul ranks fifth in OHL
scoring among defencemen with 29 points in just 22 games and was invited
to Canada’s National Junior Team Selection Camp last month.

OHL Rookie of the Month – Blake Clarke (Brampton Battalion)
Blake Clarke of the Brampton Battalion led all OHL rookies in scoring
with 11 points in 11 games played in December scoring six goals and
five assists while recording a plus-minus rating of plus-6. He produced
points in seven different games including three multi-point games,
notably a three-assist performance on December 2 as second star of a 4-1
win over the Kingston Frontenacs. Clarke also recorded the first two
multi-goal games of his career last month leading the Troops to a
victory both times with game-winning goals December 28 as first star in a
3-2 win over the Sarnia Sting, and December 31 as first star of a 5-2
win over Central Division rivals the Mississauga Steelheads.
Clarke, a 16-year-old from Wildwood, Missouri, was chosen by the Battalion 15th
overall in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection from the St. Louis Minor
Midget program. With 13 goals and 21 assists, Clarke ranks second in
rookie scoring with 34 points in 40 games.

Vaughn OHL Goaltender of the Month – Mathias Niederberger (Barrie Colts)
Mathias Niederberger of the Barrie Colts posted a 3-2-0-0 record in
December including one shutout win with a goals-against-average of 1.70
and a league-high save percentage of .954. He stopped 188 shots last
month for the Central Division leading Colts highlighted by a 40-save
performance on December 15 in a 2-0 win over the Plymouth Whalers where
he was named first star of the game with his first shutout of the
season. He also received first star honours December 28 in Kitchener
after stopping 37 shots as part of a 4-1 victory over the Rangers.
Niederberger, a 20-year-old from Duesseldorf, Germany, is playing in
his second OHL season with the Colts. In 30 games so far this season he
carries a 19-7-0-1 record with a 2.60 goals-against-average and a .926
save percentage.